Press Release

San Diego Culinary Students Named ACF Western Region Knowledge Bowl Champions

St. Augustine, Fla., February 9, 2010—The smartest culinary students in the region are from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California–San Diego, according to the American Culinary Federation (ACF), a national organization of professional chefs. The team took home a silver medal and won the Western Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by American Technical Publishers, which took place at the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 6–8.

The team comprises the following student culinarians: Carlos Esparza, Lorian Koller, Megan Leppert, Evan Rossman and Virginia Vermeulen. The team is coached by Kelly Funes and Michael Zonfrilli.

The following teams also earned silver medals in the regional competition:

• ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of California, students from The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California–Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Calif., coached by Daniel Drumlake, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC.
• ACF Pikes Peak Chapter Inc., students from Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs, Colo., coached by Heidi Block.
• A team of students from Spokane Community College’s Inland Northwest Culinary Academy, Spokane, Wash., coached by Julie Litzenberger and Curtis Smith.

ACF knowledge bowls are open to junior culinary teams from ACF chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools. Competition questions are drawn from five nationally published textbooks for culinary professionals that cover topics such as nutrition, safety and sanitation and the art of modern cooking. The tournament is formatted using a “Jeopardy”-style, five-by-four matrix board for games leading to the final round, and a five-by-five matrix board for the final round.

Nine student teams from Alaska, California, Colorado and Washington went head-to-head for the Western Region title. As Western Region champions, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-San Diego team will compete for the national title against three other winning regional teams at the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Aug. 2–5. The highest scorer will be named the ACF Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl winner for 2010.

The Baron H. Galand Knowledge Bowl is named in honor of past ACF National President Baron H. Galand, CEC, AAC, HOF, who championed junior members and encouraged them to get involved in their profession outside the kitchen. Chosen for its New Mexican cuisine, scenic beauty and entertainment options, Albuquerque was the location of the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference hosted by ACF Rio Grande Valley Chapter. Bringing chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals to the city, the conference provided attendees with opportunities to advance their professional development and enhance their culinary skills through business seminars, cooking demonstrations featuring the latest trends and techniques, cooking competitions and awards.

Sponsors of the 2010 ACF Western Regional Conference and ACF national award sponsors are: American Technical Publishers; Avocados from Mexico; Barry Callebaut; Ben E. Keith; Boyd Coffee Company; California Rice Commission; Canada Cutlery Inc.; The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee; Custom Culinary, Inc.; Diamond Crystal Salt; Fisher-Nickel Inc.; King & Prince Seafood; Koch Foods, Inc.; MARS Food Services; MenuMax; Minor’s®; NEWCHEF Fashion Inc.; R.L. Schreiber, Inc.; Riviana Foods Inc.; Shamrock Foods Company; Splenda®; Sterling Silver Premium Meats; Sysco New Mexico, LLC; TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc.; The Sterno Group; Tyson Food Service; Unilever Foodsolutions; U.S. Foodservice; Vitamix Corp.; and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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To arrange interviews or for a high-res photo, contact Patricia Carroll or Leah Craig.

Contacts: Patricia Carroll
(904) 484-0247
pcarroll@acfchefs.net

Leah Craig
(904) 484-0213
lcraig@acfchefs.net

• San Diego Culinary Students Named ACF Western Region Knowledge Bowl Champions